The Reason Why You Should Stop Taking Smug Selfies at the Airport

We are all partial to a bit of bragging on social media. Be it a lavish purchase, a run-in with a celebrity or simply a strong eyebrow game, we've all been there. However, experts are now warning that boasting about your holiday online could leave you the target of cyber thieves.

Online security expert Brian Krebs has written a blog post proving that criminals are able to extract personal data simply from the bar code on your boarding pass, including contact details and even any future flight plans. He explains:

Two-dimensional barcodes and QR codes can hold a great deal of information, and the codes printed on airline boarding passes may allow someone to discover more about you, your future travel plans, and your frequent flyer account.

He also warned that it is potentially dangerous to throw away your boarding pass, and instead it should be shredded along with other personal and confidential documents.

Due to the hashtags people are using on their photos uploaded to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, they are allowing themselves to be easily targeted. Sure enough, a quick search on Twitter or Instagram for #boardingpass brings up some results:

SMF rookie, fresh out of academia, looking forward to more creative ventures. With a love of current affairs, green tea and an ever insatiable wanderlust, Katie is ready to have her voice heard. Follow her @KatieAtSMF

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The Reason Why You Should Stop Taking Smug Selfies at the Airport
Reviewed by Katie Gascoyne
on
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Rating: 5

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